Captain Daniel William Dexter and Family, Interview with Debbie Siler, July 21st, 2021
Tacha Reed
Captain Dexter. He's not someone that I personally know much about at all, beyond that we have the logbook for the Emma Payzant and a few artifacts here. I'm hoping you can fill in a few things for me and just tell me whatever comes to mind, any stories that you know about him at all.
Debbie Siler
Right. I'm like you. My husband's family is related. My husband is the great, great grandson of Captain Dexter. He passed before his grandchildren were born. So, what we have are mainly artifacts as well. Not a whole lot was said about him. Strangely enough, given the history you’d think that a lot more would have been talked about all the time, and the fact that his wife lived in Avondale, probably 35 years after his death. You'd have thought there would have been a lot passed down to the family that she lived with, but however, like I say there wasn't a lot of conversation on it, although it was evident, by the portraits hanging in the parlor.
I heard a conversation- a bit, in reference to Captain Dexter as we had an occasion in the last number of years to clean out two houses. The Withrow house, and the Bill Siler house, which was a Withrow house as well. So where Nan - or Sarah Dexter lived, the Withrows were there for 100 years. There was 160 years of history between the two houses.
So we started running into these artifacts, there was a quadrant of which I would assume was Captain Dexter's and various things like I showed you, the satchel that perhaps he carried in another log book from another journey he had.
Captain Dexter. He's not someone that I personally know much about at all, beyond that we have the logbook for the Emma Payzant and a few artifacts here. I'm hoping you can fill in a few things for me and just tell me whatever comes to mind, any stories that you know about him at all.
Debbie Siler
Right. I'm like you. My husband's family is related. My husband is the great, great grandson of Captain Dexter. He passed before his grandchildren were born. So, what we have are mainly artifacts as well. Not a whole lot was said about him. Strangely enough, given the history you’d think that a lot more would have been talked about all the time, and the fact that his wife lived in Avondale, probably 35 years after his death. You'd have thought there would have been a lot passed down to the family that she lived with, but however, like I say there wasn't a lot of conversation on it, although it was evident, by the portraits hanging in the parlor.
I heard a conversation- a bit, in reference to Captain Dexter as we had an occasion in the last number of years to clean out two houses. The Withrow house, and the Bill Siler house, which was a Withrow house as well. So where Nan - or Sarah Dexter lived, the Withrows were there for 100 years. There was 160 years of history between the two houses.
So we started running into these artifacts, there was a quadrant of which I would assume was Captain Dexter's and various things like I showed you, the satchel that perhaps he carried in another log book from another journey he had.
The Emma Payzant, Captained by Daniel William Dexter for 17 years
Images courtesy of the Siler family.
Debbie Siler
Captain Dexter was 60 I believe when he passed. He came from Cheverie and there were a lot of Dexter's there. The whole family were seafaring people. I have some pictures from Bramber Cemetery (Bramber being Cheverie’s neighboring community) that show the gravestones of other Dexters, and they were also captains. Captain Daniel Dexter’s brothers were Morris, Vaughn and Enoch.
Captain Dexter was 60 I believe when he passed. He came from Cheverie and there were a lot of Dexter's there. The whole family were seafaring people. I have some pictures from Bramber Cemetery (Bramber being Cheverie’s neighboring community) that show the gravestones of other Dexters, and they were also captains. Captain Daniel Dexter’s brothers were Morris, Vaughn and Enoch.
Daniel William Dexter as a Young Adult. Images courtesy of the Siler family.
A Middle Aged Captain D W Dexter. Images courtesy of the Siler family.
Captain D W Dexter as an Older Man. Images courtesy of the Siler family.
Debbie Siler
He was certainly well schooled in the sea. When he married his wife Sarah, who was a Mosher from here in this area (born in the home where Carolyn Connors lived), she went to sea with him, as did the two children, two girls, and they sailed across the Atlantic, probably many times. Something very interesting there is that Sarah kept a diary, which was not common in those days, and so she kept a diary of the voyage and I have a copy of that as well for you to see. So that's quite interesting.
He was certainly well schooled in the sea. When he married his wife Sarah, who was a Mosher from here in this area (born in the home where Carolyn Connors lived), she went to sea with him, as did the two children, two girls, and they sailed across the Atlantic, probably many times. Something very interesting there is that Sarah kept a diary, which was not common in those days, and so she kept a diary of the voyage and I have a copy of that as well for you to see. So that's quite interesting.
A Young Sarah Mosher Dexter. Images courtesy of the Siler family.
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Cover of Copy of the Diary of Sarah Dexter
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Sarah Dexter, Middle Aged. Images courtesy of the Siler family.
Debbie Siler
Amanda Parker (who resides in Avondale as well and interestingly is a Mosher descendant) did a thesis on three seafaring women and Captain Daniel Dexter’s wife Sarah (Mosher) was one of these. That would be an interesting follow up as well.
There was a ship named after Captain Dexter, the “DW Dexter”, which was launched in Cheverie, but it was an ill-fated ship and sank on its maiden voyage. This was an unfortunate event, which we have found a few notes on in the papers we found.
Also Captain Dexter saved some crew members from a different shipwreck. I have that here for you and the award that was given to him years later.
Amanda Parker (who resides in Avondale as well and interestingly is a Mosher descendant) did a thesis on three seafaring women and Captain Daniel Dexter’s wife Sarah (Mosher) was one of these. That would be an interesting follow up as well.
There was a ship named after Captain Dexter, the “DW Dexter”, which was launched in Cheverie, but it was an ill-fated ship and sank on its maiden voyage. This was an unfortunate event, which we have found a few notes on in the papers we found.
Also Captain Dexter saved some crew members from a different shipwreck. I have that here for you and the award that was given to him years later.
Images courtesy of the Siler family.
Debbie Siler
So, what else do I know about him? He captained the Emma Payzant, which was owned by Mr Payzant in Windsor and it was launched here at the Mosher shipyard, which you probably already know. So, where to, from there? He sailed to England and Ireland, Belfast in particular. He spent a fair bit of time in Antwerp, Belgium and that's where the portraits you see here were painted [points to portraits of Captain Dexter and Mabel Dexter]. They sailed up and down along the east coast of the US.
So, what else do I know about him? He captained the Emma Payzant, which was owned by Mr Payzant in Windsor and it was launched here at the Mosher shipyard, which you probably already know. So, where to, from there? He sailed to England and Ireland, Belfast in particular. He spent a fair bit of time in Antwerp, Belgium and that's where the portraits you see here were painted [points to portraits of Captain Dexter and Mabel Dexter]. They sailed up and down along the east coast of the US.
This is an oil portrait of Captain Dexter painted in Antwerp, Belgium in 1866 by A. Vander Borght.
Tacha Reed
When you reference the cemetery that had several of the Dexter graves, is that in Cheverie?
Debbie Siler
Bramber and I have pictures of those headstones to show you as well.
Tacha Reed
The Emily Withrow house, which house would that be?
Debbie Siler
The one now owned by Allen Shaw, on what is called the Linden farm. The Withrows lived there for, like I said, just over 100 years. They arrived there in 1895, which was the year that Captain Dexter died, so his widow came there to live with her daughter Mabel and her family, that's her there [points to portrait].
When you reference the cemetery that had several of the Dexter graves, is that in Cheverie?
Debbie Siler
Bramber and I have pictures of those headstones to show you as well.
Tacha Reed
The Emily Withrow house, which house would that be?
Debbie Siler
The one now owned by Allen Shaw, on what is called the Linden farm. The Withrows lived there for, like I said, just over 100 years. They arrived there in 1895, which was the year that Captain Dexter died, so his widow came there to live with her daughter Mabel and her family, that's her there [points to portrait].
Portrait of Mable Rose Dexter, a replica painted by David McIntosh.
Debbie Siler
Sara lived out her life there with her daughter Mabel. Her other daughter Pauline, (Rachel "Pauline" Dexter) was quite an entrepreneur in her own right. She started out here in Windsor, married a Mr. Snell and together they started a school here (I have a pencil drawing of Pauline drawn by her husband dated 1878). Sadly, they had one daughter who passed away young, and who's buried here in the Avondale cemetery. Following this, their marriage broke down and she went to the States and never returned. But anyway, then went on to Pasadena, California and became owner of an Orange Grove, or an orange stand, we have pictures of that, and the famous orange cake recipe.
Tacha Reed
Didn't happen to have pork in it did it?
Debbie Siler
I'm not sure.
Tacha Reed
Okay. We transcribed a recipe last week for a fruit and pork cake.
Debbie Siler Oh, that's different.
James D Greene
The recipe has a quote, “as much fruit as you can afford, and no, more”
Debbie Siler
Mabel Dexter Withrow. They raised their family in the Withrow home. Her (husband)- Will Withrow... have to get this straight, now - the Withrows came to the adjoining farm, next door, and they all farmed together throughout their lifetime, really, the farmers, Bill Siler (Mabel’s grandson) and Melbourne Withrow and Volney Withrow (two of Mabel’s sons). Emilie Withrow (Mabel’s daughter) along with her two brothers Volney and Mel remained on the farm for their lifetimes and Emilie was the last Withrow on the Linden Farm when she died in 1998.
Sara lived out her life there with her daughter Mabel. Her other daughter Pauline, (Rachel "Pauline" Dexter) was quite an entrepreneur in her own right. She started out here in Windsor, married a Mr. Snell and together they started a school here (I have a pencil drawing of Pauline drawn by her husband dated 1878). Sadly, they had one daughter who passed away young, and who's buried here in the Avondale cemetery. Following this, their marriage broke down and she went to the States and never returned. But anyway, then went on to Pasadena, California and became owner of an Orange Grove, or an orange stand, we have pictures of that, and the famous orange cake recipe.
Tacha Reed
Didn't happen to have pork in it did it?
Debbie Siler
I'm not sure.
Tacha Reed
Okay. We transcribed a recipe last week for a fruit and pork cake.
Debbie Siler Oh, that's different.
James D Greene
The recipe has a quote, “as much fruit as you can afford, and no, more”
Debbie Siler
Mabel Dexter Withrow. They raised their family in the Withrow home. Her (husband)- Will Withrow... have to get this straight, now - the Withrows came to the adjoining farm, next door, and they all farmed together throughout their lifetime, really, the farmers, Bill Siler (Mabel’s grandson) and Melbourne Withrow and Volney Withrow (two of Mabel’s sons). Emilie Withrow (Mabel’s daughter) along with her two brothers Volney and Mel remained on the farm for their lifetimes and Emilie was the last Withrow on the Linden Farm when she died in 1998.
Tacha Reed
What were they farming, do you recall?
Debbie Siler
Yes, they had orchards, most of the farms in those days had orchards and dyke land. Volney Withrow had a beautiful peach orchard and there were plum orchards and apple orchards. Bill Siler farmed the Dave Withrow farm, starting out with two milking cows (Mabel’s husband was Will Withrow, his father being Dave, and the farm where he grew up). When I came here, some 50 odd years ago, it was still milk cans, and the village was rather quiet in those days, several small farms. But then, milk cans started giving way to the milk tanks, and the bigger trucks, and that was the beginning of the end of small farms, I guess. But you have to tip your hat to those farmers, they did a lot of work. They maintained all their machinery. They mended buildings, fixed fences, had gardens, cut their winter wood, - it was a hard life, but a good life, a good time to raise children. Bill and Volney had bee hives, raised large vegetable crops. Most farmers sold their vegetables down the valley. One time Bill sent a whole transfer truck full of pumpkins to Newfoundland. In later years Bill fished for gaspereau, shad and flounder. Had a fish smoke house too.
Tacha Reed
Do you think any of those fruit trees still exist or have they...
Debbie Siler
Yes, there are some on our farm, but they're not maintained anymore so they're really gone by the way. The peach orchards are gone, the old plum orchard is there but it's in ruins really at this point.
Tacha Reed
Do you think that's something that could be salvaged at some point or-?
Debbie Siler
I would think they would have to be replanted. When we moved up to the homestead, about 10 years ago, we planted two or three trees, more grapes but didn’t get into managing the orchards. The trees were too old at that point. We rent the fields for the hay. We live on a farm, but we don't have any animals. My granddaughter asks us “where are the animals?”.
But yes, there's a lot of history which we're just getting around to uncovering, having to clean out the two homes. We didn't have time to organize, so I'm trying to start that now. I spent most of my time here in Avondale. Volunteering for the cemetery and the community hall and the United Church. Strange that I wasn't volunteering here, but now I'm thinking maybe it's time to come here, you know. There would be a fair bit of things that would be of interest for me here.
Tacha Reed
Maybe it's time to turn the page and do that next chapter?
Debbie Siler
Yes, right.
Tacha Reed
Well I look forward to seeing everything that you discover as you go through-
Debbie Siler
Well I know there was more. I mentioned to you about Captain Dexter's master mariner paper, and I didn't come across that this week. It's there, and there should be a fair bit more really, so when I uncover that I'll certainly give you access to it so that would help the history here. Three of Captain Dexter’s children went to sea. Olga (Bill Siler’s mother) went to sea as a cook with her (second) husband, John Wheaton, who was a captain. Volney worked on the gypsum boats and was a Merchant Marine (WWII) which he was awarded for (unfortunately) posthumously. Volney always had a boat on the Avon throughout his life. Philip joined the coastguards. Olga and these two brothers were also shipwrecked during these seafaring years.
Tacha Reed
Excellent. All right, so I'm going to take all your documents and pass them on to Will and he will scan them in and we’ll start to build a little story around the family to include with the Mosher's and Harveys and the Lakes and other interpretive writing here. Yeah, we’d like to fill in all the blanks for many of the different families and up and down loop, there's a lot of roots that go way back. So yes, trying to fill in a few blanks.
Debbie Siler
I was thinking about the cemetery, the people that founded that, they still have descendants here and that was founded in 1921. There were Mounces, Parkers and Robarts, and they still have descendants here, so that's quite interesting really, that’s 100 years now. Exactly 100 years.
James D Greene
So would Captain Dexter have been more of a trading captain? Was he involved in trading freight, like trading...
Debbie Siler
I only found one paper so far that mentioned having some oil barrels, which I found quite interesting. I don't know whether the log book would have something in it or not. It could be in her (Sara Dexter’s) diary- now I haven’t read that completely, Reid McDuff photocopied it for me, and that was a number of years ago. So there may be something more in that. One grandson was named after a cabin boy on one of Captain Dexter's ships (Volney ‘West’)- I forgot to tell you that part. This cabin boy, West, kept a friendship and wrote letters to Mrs Dexter all her life. He sent her pictures of his wedding from the United States. Volney West Withrow was given his name by his grandmother Sarah Dexter, the Captain's wife. His granddaughter, Emilie ‘Grant’ was named after a ship. All the grandchildren had very interesting names, from oldest to youngest:
Olga Zella (Zelda?)
Melbourne Vaughn (Vaughan?)
Greta Luska
Viva Armine
Volney West
Emilie Grant
Cortland Myers
Phillip Carman
James D Greene
Sort of like names with roots all over the world because they were his cabin boys.
Debbie Siler
Yes, that's right. Yes, so I think some of those came from Nan, Sarah Dexter, but also Mabel as she spent some of her childhood abroad (on the ships).
What were they farming, do you recall?
Debbie Siler
Yes, they had orchards, most of the farms in those days had orchards and dyke land. Volney Withrow had a beautiful peach orchard and there were plum orchards and apple orchards. Bill Siler farmed the Dave Withrow farm, starting out with two milking cows (Mabel’s husband was Will Withrow, his father being Dave, and the farm where he grew up). When I came here, some 50 odd years ago, it was still milk cans, and the village was rather quiet in those days, several small farms. But then, milk cans started giving way to the milk tanks, and the bigger trucks, and that was the beginning of the end of small farms, I guess. But you have to tip your hat to those farmers, they did a lot of work. They maintained all their machinery. They mended buildings, fixed fences, had gardens, cut their winter wood, - it was a hard life, but a good life, a good time to raise children. Bill and Volney had bee hives, raised large vegetable crops. Most farmers sold their vegetables down the valley. One time Bill sent a whole transfer truck full of pumpkins to Newfoundland. In later years Bill fished for gaspereau, shad and flounder. Had a fish smoke house too.
Tacha Reed
Do you think any of those fruit trees still exist or have they...
Debbie Siler
Yes, there are some on our farm, but they're not maintained anymore so they're really gone by the way. The peach orchards are gone, the old plum orchard is there but it's in ruins really at this point.
Tacha Reed
Do you think that's something that could be salvaged at some point or-?
Debbie Siler
I would think they would have to be replanted. When we moved up to the homestead, about 10 years ago, we planted two or three trees, more grapes but didn’t get into managing the orchards. The trees were too old at that point. We rent the fields for the hay. We live on a farm, but we don't have any animals. My granddaughter asks us “where are the animals?”.
But yes, there's a lot of history which we're just getting around to uncovering, having to clean out the two homes. We didn't have time to organize, so I'm trying to start that now. I spent most of my time here in Avondale. Volunteering for the cemetery and the community hall and the United Church. Strange that I wasn't volunteering here, but now I'm thinking maybe it's time to come here, you know. There would be a fair bit of things that would be of interest for me here.
Tacha Reed
Maybe it's time to turn the page and do that next chapter?
Debbie Siler
Yes, right.
Tacha Reed
Well I look forward to seeing everything that you discover as you go through-
Debbie Siler
Well I know there was more. I mentioned to you about Captain Dexter's master mariner paper, and I didn't come across that this week. It's there, and there should be a fair bit more really, so when I uncover that I'll certainly give you access to it so that would help the history here. Three of Captain Dexter’s children went to sea. Olga (Bill Siler’s mother) went to sea as a cook with her (second) husband, John Wheaton, who was a captain. Volney worked on the gypsum boats and was a Merchant Marine (WWII) which he was awarded for (unfortunately) posthumously. Volney always had a boat on the Avon throughout his life. Philip joined the coastguards. Olga and these two brothers were also shipwrecked during these seafaring years.
Tacha Reed
Excellent. All right, so I'm going to take all your documents and pass them on to Will and he will scan them in and we’ll start to build a little story around the family to include with the Mosher's and Harveys and the Lakes and other interpretive writing here. Yeah, we’d like to fill in all the blanks for many of the different families and up and down loop, there's a lot of roots that go way back. So yes, trying to fill in a few blanks.
Debbie Siler
I was thinking about the cemetery, the people that founded that, they still have descendants here and that was founded in 1921. There were Mounces, Parkers and Robarts, and they still have descendants here, so that's quite interesting really, that’s 100 years now. Exactly 100 years.
James D Greene
So would Captain Dexter have been more of a trading captain? Was he involved in trading freight, like trading...
Debbie Siler
I only found one paper so far that mentioned having some oil barrels, which I found quite interesting. I don't know whether the log book would have something in it or not. It could be in her (Sara Dexter’s) diary- now I haven’t read that completely, Reid McDuff photocopied it for me, and that was a number of years ago. So there may be something more in that. One grandson was named after a cabin boy on one of Captain Dexter's ships (Volney ‘West’)- I forgot to tell you that part. This cabin boy, West, kept a friendship and wrote letters to Mrs Dexter all her life. He sent her pictures of his wedding from the United States. Volney West Withrow was given his name by his grandmother Sarah Dexter, the Captain's wife. His granddaughter, Emilie ‘Grant’ was named after a ship. All the grandchildren had very interesting names, from oldest to youngest:
Olga Zella (Zelda?)
Melbourne Vaughn (Vaughan?)
Greta Luska
Viva Armine
Volney West
Emilie Grant
Cortland Myers
Phillip Carman
James D Greene
Sort of like names with roots all over the world because they were his cabin boys.
Debbie Siler
Yes, that's right. Yes, so I think some of those came from Nan, Sarah Dexter, but also Mabel as she spent some of her childhood abroad (on the ships).
“This project has been made possible in part by the Documentary Heritage Communities Program offered by Library and Archives Canada / Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au Programme pour les collectivités du patrimoine documentaire offert par Bibliothèque et Archives Canada.”